Total births
4,112
Girls' name · since 1910
Halley
Since 1910, U.S. Social Security records show 4,112 babies named Halley, peaking in 1986. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #2727
- among girls today
- 4,112
- born since 1910
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 85%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Halley is the #2727 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 4,112 recorded since 1910.
Halley has 4,112 recorded births among girls since 1910, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2727 as of the latest data, more common than 85% of girls, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1910 to 2025.
- #2727 among girls today
- 4,112 born since 1910
- 1990s peak decade
- 85% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Halley is currently the #2727 girls' name in America, more common than 85% of girls - 4,112 born since 1910, peaking in the 1990s.
- #2727
- among girls today
- 4,112
- born since 1910
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 85%
- more common than other girls
Halley vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2727
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 85% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
32% of everyone ever named Halley was born in this single decade.
1986
Single peak year
333 babies were named Halley in 1986 - its busiest year on record.
How Halley compares
4,112 Top 15% higher than 85% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Halley's all-time total is 11x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Halley | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 4,112 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 333 | 48 | 19,840 |
Halley's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Halley splits its recorded history at 1992: 73% of all births land in the more recent half, 27% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1915 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1986 peak of 333 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Halley at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1986
Current rank
#2,727
Active since
1910
Halley popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1910–2025
- Peak year (1986)
- 333
- Annual births at peak, across 116 years of records
Halley popularity over time - boys
126 total births recorded since 1910 (Halley as boys' name)
Halley by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Halley's strongest decade.
1,314 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 32% of all-time use.
Halley births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 16
1910s
16 births
- 1920s 7
1920s
7 births
- 1940s 5
1940s
5 births
- 1950s 7
1950s
7 births
- 1960s 46
1960s
46 births
- 1970s 126
1970s
126 births
- 1980s
1980s
757 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,314 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,110 births
- 2010s 450
2010s
450 births
- 2020s 274
2020s
274 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 1,314 births (32% of all-time use).
How Halley compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Halley's total volume
Halley vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Halley by state
Where Halley concentrates geographically, total births since 1910
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 293 | 7.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 281 | 6.8% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 172 | 4.2% |
| #4 | Florida | | 146 | 3.6% |
| #5 | New York | | 131 | 3.2% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 92 | 2.2% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 77 | 1.9% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 70 | 1.7% |
California share of Halley's total US births 7.1%
Even split
293 of 4,112 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 36 reporting states.
Halley appears in 36 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Halley? ▼
Since 1910, Social Security records show 4,112 babies named Halley. Today it holds rank #2727 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1986, with 333 births.
When was Halley most popular? ▼
Halley was most popular in the 1990s decade with 1,314 total births. The single peak year was 1986.
Where is Halley most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Halley are California (293 births), Texas (281 births), Ohio (172 births).
How long has the name Halley been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Halley since 1910 -- 116 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Halley? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Haley, Hallie, Halle, Haleigh, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Halley's data
- Halley's decade-level peak was the 1990s (1,314 total births); usage has since declined to 274 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Halleys (293 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Halley
Nearby Names Like Halley
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Halley
Haley Girl
#775 159,511 births
Hallie Girl
#149 40,376 births
Halle Girl
#572 16,651 births
Haleigh Girl
#4241 14,284 births
Halie Girl
#10318 7,409 births
Compare Halley side by side: Halley vs Haley Halley vs Hallie Halley vs Halle
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Halley
Kathlyn #2726
5,156 births · Peak 1951
Stacey #2728
147,750 births · Peak 1971
Lynette #2725
43,392 births · Peak 1965
Aster #2729
752 births · Peak 2022
Francisca #2724
12,582 births · Peak 1928
Jaclyn #2730
49,632 births · Peak 1988
Susannah #2723
7,784 births · Peak 1975
Uma #2731
1,901 births · Peak 2006
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1910–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Halley: #2727 Girls' Name - 4,112 Births, Peak 1986." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/halley. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Halley draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.